Aston Villa, From Chicago to the Holte End of the World

Most of the soccer books I review for Booklist are, naturally, nonfiction. (Or, in the case of player autobiographies, mostly nonfiction.) But when a soccer-themed novel pops up, I jump at the chance to read it. From the March 1 issue, my review of Eduardo Sacheri’s Papers in the Wind.

When Alejandro Raguzzi (nicknamed “Mono”) dies of cancer, his brother, Fernando, and friends Ruso and Mauricio take it upon themselves to ensure the future of Mono’s young daughter, Guadalupe. The problem is, Mono’s entire estate consists of one terrible investment: he owns the transfer rights to Mario Juan Bautista Pittilanga, a soccer player laboring deep in the third division, far from Buenos Aires. If they can sell him, the girl’s future is secure—but how do you sell a striker who can’t score goals?